Pin colours and textures to the drawing board – in SketchUp

When I finished the last post, I had a set of nice colours, in the form of a sample board, nearly ready-to-deploy floor plan, and some colour dilemmas.

SketchUp offers quite a lot for visualising those issues, because it is possible to draft the floor plan, produce a 3D model, and match colours and textures.

I attempted just that, the result is still not impeccable, but a nice progress towards a solution cannot be denied, so bear with me!

For a start, I will ask you to briefly revisit my mobile sample board, and get reintroduced to colours. I like it so much that they effortlessly blend into one another. So, if I have to define the furniture challenge in more words, it is – will I be able to introduce contrast and make it work?

Then, I will share with you a couple of embarrassments: as you know from previous blogs, I have my 3D model, but it was really basic. It is with this model that I attempted to fit in the furniture as I had drawn it on the floor plan.

In the first attempt it is already obvious that things do not look good: the sofa is not going to be red, it is possibly not this variety of sofa – I only got it from the 3D Warehouse, because it fits. Then, the bookcase models do not have any doors – a disaster since it is those doors I wish to match to the colour scheme! Last but not least – environment is all wrong – the floor and walls, and doors – all the wrong colours.

An attempt for a quick remedy was the same thing in black and white – slightly better, for the sake of balancing the volumes, but not quite there yet.

And finally, as soon as I have some time on my hands – I start research and experiment with the ‘colours and texture’.

Have a quick look at a “before” floor plan! My first target are the tiles – a very easy match because they are available on the manufacturer’s site Lovelies. 

A jpeg is downloaded and then matched to my SketchUp model of a single tile – with rounded edges and grout included. I am very proud of the individual result, but the creation of the complete floor proves to be difficult – I end up slicing every tile just like the tilers did. And when you are newish to SketchUp – is quite time consuming, trust me!

Two obvious setbacks with the exercise:

-      The black edges of every tile make it look unrealistic

-     In the programme the tiles look darker and pinkish, whereas in the room as it is they are more like marbled off-white

For the remaining surfaces, it is so much easier – I simply create JPEG files for wall – exact paint on fibreglass, bathroom door and of course – heavy natural wood door.

The JPEGs originate from the sample board shot – so I am helpless to deal with colour discrepancies. For the improvement exercise, I will find those colours on sites, as I previously did, or I will need a crash course in Adobe Photoshop! Just now, doors and walls look pixelated, as they never would in real life! On the other hand, and what is so positive from the exercise – when put together, they convey better the overall colour feeling of the room.

Another aspect I’d like to improve in Sketchup is the stark contrast between the walls of same colour in light, or in shadow – another parameter I need to toggle in Sketchup.

Finally, I’d love to improve the look of the natural wood door – which is pixelated. It is also the exercise of sticking an image to a surface – so I use my door image straight away – the trouble is the proportions don’t fit and I would not know yet how to fix those! Again, is it a case for learning more on Sketchup, or shall I take the deep with Photoshop?

In conclusion – much as I am proud with the result, I admit there is so much more that can be added to improve the photo-realistic qualities of my model. In addition to those already listed – I’ve seen a video on YouTube, showing how models can be literally converted to elevations, and show rooms in great detail. In fact, you should have noticed that skirting and corniches are missing from my room.

Now, before I return to some real-life decoration issues (I have some curtain sewing scheduled for the weekend), I’d like to urge everyone out there to share their experience in colour rendering!

In fact, I am very happy to announce that I am booked for a colour rendering course with KLC, so the topic will soon be continued!